Lawns and Lawns (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the father against a decision of the Child Support Registrar regarding the assessment of child support. The dispute centred on the percentage of care attributed to each parent, which directly impacts the child support payable. The appeal was heard by W Kennedy M.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the Registrar had erred in determining the father's percentage of care for the child. This involved an assessment of the pattern of care provided by each parent and the admissibility of certain third-party statements in substantiating that pattern.

The court considered the evidence presented, including statements from third parties, to ascertain the actual pattern of care. The Registrar's decision was affirmed, indicating that the court found no error in the assessment of the percentage of care based on the evidence before the Registrar. The principles applied likely involved the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* concerning the determination of care percentages and the weight to be given to various forms of evidence.